What is recorded here

Ballycorkey castle vanished beneath poorly drained grassland and river dredging spoil, leaving only a shallow fosse and one limestone fragment trapped in a roadside wall. The Inny River still flows forty metres north, wider on old maps but diminished now, while low banks stretch east and south like forgotten shadows. Whatever lived inside that rectangular enclosure has surrendered its name, purpose and people to water, soil and time.

Situated on poorly drained grassland 40m S of the Inny River, which is also the boundary between Bakllycorkey and Rathclittagh townlands. Eel Weir 60m to W on 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map and Ballycorkey Bridge 100m to NE. No surface remains visible of medieval castle. Depicted as ‘site of castle’ standing inside a square shaped field on 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map, which also shows that the river was wider at this time. Rectangular field or possible bawn (WM006-044001-) now defined by a poorly preserved earthen bank and shallow fosse as visible on Digital Globe aerial photograph taken November 2011. The NW side of this rectangular area is covered by spoil from dredging of the river. Low banks extend SE & E from the rectangular enclosure. A single dressed fragment of limestone of medieval date in the roadside wall near the gateway may have come from the castle. Line of old roadway visible as earthwork in field immediately to SSE of castle site. Several linear earthworks in field to S and E of rectangular enclosure may be related to the medieval castle or could be the remains of post-medieval drainage ditches. Compiled by: Frank Coyne & Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 31 January 2017

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